vjvm 


PRESIDENT  WOODROW  WILSON 


THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 

FROM 
WASHINGTON  TO  WILSON 

1777-1914 


Our  National  and  State  Laws 
are  based  on  the  Constitution 
and  the  Flag  is  its  Symbol. 


BY 
CHARLES    W.  STEWART 

SUPEKINTHNDENT   LIBRARY    AND 
NAVAL,   WAR    RECORDS 


WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
THE  NAVY  PUBLISHING  CO. 

1914 


COPYRIGHT,  1914,  BY 
CHARLES   W.  STEWART 


PRESS   OF   FRANC.    K.    SHEIKV 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 


CONTENTS 

Preface    v 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  from  Washington  to  Wilson 1 

The  Birth  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes 6 

The  Flag  of  Fifteen  Stars 11 

The  Flags  of  Twenty  Stars  and  Forty-eight  Stars 14 

Dimensions  of  the  National  Flag 17 

Standard   Proportions   of   National   Emblem 18 

Dates  of  Admission  of  the  States  of  the  Union 20 

The   Display   of   the   Flag 21 

Resolution  of  Congress  designating  Mother's  Day 22 

The  President's  Proclamation  in  regard  to  Mother's  Day 2:5 

Books  and  Lectures  on  the  Flag 24 

Illustrations. 

President  Woodrow  Wilson Frontispiece 

George  Washington    ix, 

John  Paul  Jones xi 

Admiral  George  Dewey,  U.  S.  X xiii 

Flag   of    1777-1795,    Colored    plate xvi 

Flag  of  1795-1818,   Colored   plate xvi 

Flag  of   1818,   Colored   plate xvii 

Flag  of    1912,   Colored   plate xvii 

The  Grand   Union   Flag,   177(5 4 

Fac-simile  of  Resolution  authorizing  the  Stars  and  Stripes 7 

American    Flag  of   Revolutionary   Period S 

Maryland  Flag  carried  in  the  Battle  of  Cowpens 9 

The  Flag  of   Fifteen    Stars 11 

The   Star-Spangled    Banner   of   Fort    McHenry 12 

Approximate  Arrangement  of  Stars  in  the  Enterprise   Flag i:; 

Flag  of   1912 15 

Diagrams   Showing   Dimensions  of   U.   S.   Ensign 19 

Diagrams   of    Boat    Flag 25 

Sonys  and  Ruyle  Calls. 

America   29 

The  Star-Spangled    Banner ><) 

The  American  Flag 

O  Columbia,  Gem  of  the  Ocean 

Reveille    

Morning  Colors    

Taps    

Evening   Colors    >5 


PREFACE 

The  story  of  "The  Stars  and  Stripes  from  Washington  to 
"Wilson,"  in  "The  Navy"  for  October,  1913,  is  here  reprinted, 
with  some  additions  of  text  and  illustration. 

The  flags  in  outline  are  from  the  Navy  Department  plan  re- 
ferred to  in  Executive  Order  1637  and  show  the  proportions  of 
the  standard  ensign  and  the  navy  boat  flag,  and  the  position,  size, 
and  arrangement  of  the  stars  in  the  ensign  and  in  the  boat  flag. 

The  portraits  of  George  Washington,  John  Paul  Jones,  and 
George  Dewey  show  the  features  of  three  of  our  heroes  who  have 
gained  great  victories  in  foreign  wars.  The  Washington  por- 
trait is  from  the  painting,  in  the  War  Department,  by  Huntington 
after  Trumbull  and  others.  The  frontispiece  is  of  right  that  of 
the  President. 

The  colored  plates  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  show  the  flag  of 
1777  with  stars  in  a  circle.  It  is  probable  that  army  flags  were, 
at  first,  thus  arranged,  and  that  navy  flags  bore  the  stars  in  some 
staggered  or  quincunx  grouping.  The  known  navy  flags  of  the 
period  1795-1818  had  the  stars  in  horizontal  rows  staggered;  the 
Xavy  Commissioners,  May  18,  1818,  required  the  new  flag  to 
l;ear  twenty  stars  in  four  horizontal  rows,  staggered.  This  form 
was  changed  to  a  rectangular  grouping  of  the  four  horizontal  rows 
by  direction  of  the  President,  four  months  later.  The  rectangu- 
lar arrangement  has  been  closely  followed  since  that  date.  The 
writer  has  followed  the  flag  through  many  written  and  printed 
records,  and  has  found  a  growing  reverence  for  the  national  en- 
sign and  an  increasing  desire  fcr  fixed  proportions  and  sizes  of 
the  flag,  a  desire  that  resulted  in  the  Executive  Order,  1(537. 
<  >ctober  21),  1912. 

There  is  no  known  contemporaneous  written  account  of  the 
construction  of  our  first  national  flag  in  177(5  or  1777.  and  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  was  probably  not  widely  known  or  generally 
used  on  land  until  after  the  Revolutionary  War. 

Governments  and  nations  are  slow  of  growth.  Our  flag  was 
r.ot  the  beloved  ensign  of  a  great  nation  when  it  was  first  used, 
and  it  is  not  strange  that  the  State  flags  were  then  more  important 
than  the  national  flag.  The  Congress  from  1775  to  1789  was 

[vj 


vi  Preface 


composed  of  a  succession  of  delegates,  and  its  duties  and  powers 
were  indicated  in  the  Articles  of  Association  adopted  in  1774,  and 
were  more  fully  set  forth  in  the  Articles  of  Confederation  agreed 
upon  in  1777  and  adopted  July  9,  1778.  The  government  was 
without  power  to  prevent  or  punish  offenses  against  its  own  laws. 
There  was  no  President  or  other  executive  power  except  com- 
mittees of  the  Congress.  After  the  Treaty  of  Peace  in  1783, 
which  ended  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  England  refused  to 
carry  out  that  treaty  or  to  send  a  minister  to  the  United  States. 
The  Federal  Government  was  despised  abroad,  disobeyed  at  home. 
Algiers  declared  war  against  the  United  States  in  1785. 

In  defense  against  intolerable  conditions,  at  home  and  abroad, 
a  Constitutional  Convention,  whose  presiding  officer  was  George 
Washington,  adopted,  in  1787,  the  Constitution  (ratified  by  the 
States  in  1788),  which  begins  as  follows: — 

PREAMBLE. 

We,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  in  order  to  form  a  more  perfect 
union,  establish  justice,  insure  domestic  tranquility,  provide  for  the  com- 
mon defense,  promote  the  general  welfare,  and  secure  the  blessings  of 
liberty  to  ourselves  and  our  posterity,  do  ordain  and  establish  this  Con- 
stitution for  the  United  States  of  America. 

Under  this  Constitution,  from  Washington  to  Wilson,  our 
country  has  grown  great— from  3,000,000  to  100,000,000  of  pop- 
ulation ;  from  a  puny  confederacy  to  the  greatest  nation  in  the 
world.  The  tests  of  foreign  and  civil  war,  bitter  political  and 
personal  contests,  financial  disaster  and  unparalleled  prosperity, 
and  vast  increase  in  territory,  have  tried  and  approved  it.  The 
Constitution  provides  for  control  of  the  Legislative,  Executive, 
and  Judicial  functions,  both  Federal  and  State.  The  stability 
of  our  own  government,  compared  with  the  radical  changes  in 
those  of  every  other  nation,  is  the  highest  memorial  of  the  wis- 
dom and  patriotism  of  the  men  who  framed  the  Constitution  and 
of  their  successors  who  have  supported,  defended,  and  obeyed  it. 

The  boys  and  girls  of  the  present  will  be  the  voters  of  the  fu- 
ture;  they  may  amend  the  Constitution.  It  will  be  well  for  them 
to  know  that  under  its  wise  provisions  our  government  is  "by 
the  people,  for  the  people."  It  will  be  well  for  them  to  feel  the 
significance  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes  as  the  emblem  of  Liberty 
and  Union  as  set  forth  in  the  preamble  of  the  Constitution.  It 
will  be  well  for  them  to  realize  that  our  Flag  stands  for  struggle 


Preface  vii 

and  self-sacrifice  in  the  past :  that  our  Constitution  stands  for 
peace  and  safety  in  the  present :  and  that  under  our  Constitution 
and  our  Flag,  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  the  future  is  bright  with 
promise  of  national  righteousness  and  the  "benign  influence  of 
good  Laws  under  a  Free  Government," —  the  ever  favorite  object 
of  the  heart  of  George  Washington. 

CHARLES  W.  STEWART. 

Superintendent  Library  and 

Naval  War  Records. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON 
"First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen." 


lix] 


JOHN  PAUL  JONES 

'He  hath  made  the  Flagg  of  America  respectable  among  the 
Flaggs  of  other  Nations." 


ADMIRAL  GEORGE  DEWEY,  U.S.N. 
'You  may  fire  when  you're  ready,  Gridley.' 

[  xiii] 


1777-1795 

Thirteen  Stripes,  Thirteen  Stars 


1795-1818 

Fifteen  Stripes,  Fifteen  Stars 


1818 

Thirteen  Stripes,  Twenty  Stars 


July  4,  1912 
Thirteen  Stripes,  Forty-eight  Stars 


THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 

FROM  WASHINGTON  TO  WILSON 


Every  man  for  the  Flag,  and  the  Flag  for  us  all. 


The  Stars  and  Stripes  is  one  of  the  very  old  national  flags  of 
the  world.  It  was  ordained  and  established  June  14,  1777,  by 
resolution  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  of  North  America, 
and  officially  published,  September  2  and  3,  1777,  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Congress,  Charles  Thomson. 

Among  national  ensigns  the  flag  of  Denmark  is  probably  the 
oldest ;  and  that  of  Russia,  second  in  age.  The  present  national 
flag  of  Spain  dates  from  1785;  that  of  France,  from  1789;  of 
England,  from  1801 ;  of  Italy,  from  1848 ;  of  Japan,  from  1859 ; 
of  Austria-Hungary,  from  1867;  of  Germany,  from  1871;  of 
Portugal,  from  1911 ;  of  China,  from  1912. 

During  the  life  of  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  one-half  of  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  have  become  republics,  and  every  government 
has  given  increased  liberty  and  representation  to  its  people.  The 
world  has  advanced,  particularly  during  the  past  fifty  years,  in 
the  sciences,  in  the  arts,  in  material  prosperity  and  personal  com- 
fort, as  never  before. 

The  romantic  story  of  our  flag  is  told  at  Flag  Day  exercises 
held  on  its  anniversary,  June  14,  in  public  schools  and  institutions 
throughout  the  United  States  and  its  territories  and  insular  pos- 
sessions. The  American  Flag  Association,  organized  in  1898. 
for  the  purpose  of  fostering  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  honoring 
our  flag  and  preventing  its  desecration,  proposed  the  following 
pledge  to  be  given  in  public  schools  daily,  with  a  salute  to  the 
flag:- 

"I  pledge  allegiance  to  my  Flag,  and  to  the  Country  for  which 
it  stands,  one  nation,  indivisible,  with  liberty  and  justice  for  all." 

[i] 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


Flag  Day  was  first  observed  in  1861,  at  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
by  hanging  out  flags  and  by  having  a  patriotic  program,  with 
music,  addresses,  arid  prayer.  The  celebration  of  Flag  Day  in 
the  public  schools  began  iri  Philadelphia,  in  1893.  A  bill  in  the 
Congress  providing  that  June  14  should  be  a  legal  holiday  was 
voted  down  on  June  13,  1861.  Other  bills  of  like  tenor  have 
since  failed  to  become  law. 

There  is  a  United  States  statute  forbidding  the  use  of  the 
national  ensign  as  a  trade-mark,  and  many  States  have  adopted 
laws  forbidding  its  desecration. 

There  is  an  appropriation  for  displaying  the  flag  on  the  east 
and  west  fronts  of  the  national  Capitol.  The  flag  is  hoisted  over 
the  Senate  or  House  of  Representatives  when  in  session.  The 
Stars  and  Stripes  floats  at  the  flagstaff  on  the  White  House  dur- 
ing the  hours  from  8  A.M.  to  sunset,  while  the  President  is  in 
"Washington.  Its  absence  from  the  Executive  Mansion  indicates 
the  absence  of  the  President  from  the  Capital  City.  The  flag 
is  displayed  over  United  States  Department  buildings  and  offices, 
from  9  A.M.  to  4:30  P.M.  At  all  military  posts  and  stations  the 
flag  is  hoisted  at  sunrise  and  lowered  at  sunset,  with  appropriate 
ceremony.  On  United  States  warships  in  port  and  at  naval  sta- 
tions the  colors  are  hoisted  at  8  A.M.  and  lowered  at  sunset. 

The  regulations  of  the  army  and  of  the  navy  direct  that  "The 
Star  Spangled  Banner"  be  played  by  the  band  at  morning  and 
evening  "colors."  or,  if  there  be  no  band,  that  "colors"  be  sounded 
by  the  field  music,  —  the  bugle.  The  Navy  Regulations,  issued 
with  the  approval  of  the  President*  also  requires  that  the  "na- 
tional air"  be  played  at  "colors"  on  ships  and  at  stations  where 
there  is  a  band.  In  substance  and  effect  this  makes  "The  Star 
Spangled  Banner"  the  national  air. 

The  flag  must  always  be  displayed  in  battle.  Naval  vessels 
engaging  the  enemy  hoist  the  largest  ensign  on  board. 

February  22  is  observed  most  ceremoniously  in  the  army  and 
navy,  by  decorations  and  by  firing  a  national  salute  of  twenty-orie 
guns  at  noon.  On  July  4.  at  noon,  a  "salute  to  the  Union,"  one 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


gun  for  each  State,  commemorating  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence, is  fired  at  all  army  posts,  but  in  the  navy  the  national 
salute  is  fired,  on  that  clay.  Other  holidays  —  New  Year's  Day 
(January  1),  Inauguration  Day  (March  4),  Memorial  Day  (May 
30),  Labor  Day  (first  Monday  in  September),  Thanksgiving 
Pay  (last  Thursday  in  November),  and  Christmas  Day  (Decem- 
ber 35) — are  observed,  but  with  less  official  ceremony  than 
July  4  and  February  22. 

The  sun  never  sets  on  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  for  the  flag  flies 
from  our  embassies,  legations,  and  consulates  the  world  over: 
and  from  March  to  September,  the  sun  is  above  the  eastern  hori- 
zon of  Maine  and  Porto  Rico,  as  it  sinks  below  the  western 
horizon  of  our  possessions  in  the  Far  East. 

For  seventy  years  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  the  British- 
American  Colonies  flew  the  red  ensign  of  the  mother  country. 
with  the  union  of  the  crosses  of  St.  George  and  St.  Andrew. 
New  England  used  also  a  blue  flag,  with  the  red  cross  of  St. 
George  on  a  white  canton,*  and  some  of  the  colonies  had  special 
devices  added  to  the  red  and  blue  banners. 

The  early  American  flags  of  the  Revolutionary  War  were  of 
various  colors  and  many  designs,  including  pine  trees,  rattle- 
snakes, thirteen  red  and  white  stripes,  crescents,  mottoes,  etc. 
Some  of  these  flags  were  used  throughout  the  wrar. 

*In  a  flag,  the  hoist  is  the  vertical  part,  dimension,  or  height  of  the 
portion  next  the  staff,  pole,  or  halliards.  The  fly  is  the  horizontal  part, 
dimension,  or  length  of  the  flag.  The  canton  (Lat.  canton,  "corner")  is 
a  rectangle  in  the  upper  corner  next  the  hoist.  The  union  is  the  device 
placed  in  the  canton  to  denote  political  union ;  and  the  term  "union"  some- 
times includes  both  the  device  and  the  canton,  and  is  generally  called  the 
jack,  or  the  union  jack. 

The  name  "Jack"  was  first  applied  to  the  flag  of  England  —  the  union 
of  England's  and  Scotland's  crosses  of  St.  George  and  St.  Andrew, 
ordered  in  1606,  for  English  and  Scotch  ships,  hy  James  I,  whose  name 
in  French  is  Jacques.  The  flag  was  then  called  "Jacques1  Flag."  and 
later  simply  "the  Jack."  This  Jack  was  adopted  by  Parliament  in  1707, 
modified  in  1801,  by  the  addition  of  the  cross  of  St.  Patrick,  and  the 
Jack  of  the  United  Kingdom  became  the  flag  of  the  British  Empire,  as 
it  is  to-day. 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


A  flag  of  thirteen  horizontal  red  and  white  stripes,  with  the  red 
cross  of  St.  George  on  a  white  canton,  was  the  distinguishing 
mark  of  flagships  in  the  British  Navy  in  the  eighteenth  century. 
A  similar  flag  was  flown  on  vessels  of  the  East  India  Company. 
The  Light  Horse  Troop,  of  Philadelphia,  carried,  in  1775,  the 
Markoe  Banner,  with  a  canton  of  thirteen  stripes  alternate  blue 
and  silver.  Washington's  family  coat  of  arms  bore  red  five- 
pointed  stars,  one  point  upward,  and  red  and  white  horizontal 
stripes. 


THE  GRAND  UNION  FLAG,  1776 

The  Grand  Union  Flag  was  the  Continental  standard  from 
January,  1776,  until  superseded  by  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  1777. 
The  Journals  of  the  Continental  Congress  tell  us  that  Benjamin 
Harrison  of  Virginia,  Benjamin  Franklin  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
Thomas  Lynch  of  South  Carolina,  were  appointed,  in  September, 
1775,  a  committee  to  confer  with  Washington  and  others  on 
regulating  a  Continental  army.  The  committee  was  in  Wash- 
ington's camp  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  late  in  October, 
1775;  and,  on  January  1,  177(5,  Washington  hoisted  at  the  army 
headquarters,  in  Cambridge,  a  flag  of  "thirteen  stripes,  red  and 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


white  alternately,  with  the  English  Union  cantoned  in  the  corner." 
It  is  probable  that  this  Grand  Union  Flag  had  been  approved  by 
the  visiting  committee  of  Congress,  and  was  the  national  ensign 
under  which  the  fleet  of  Commodore  Esek  Hopkins  sailed  from 
Philadelphia  in  February,  1776;  Arnold  fought  the  Battle  of 
Lake  Champlain,  in  October,  1776,  and  Washington  crossed  the 
Delaware  and  fought  the  battles  of  Trenton,  December  26, 
1776,  and  Princeton,  January  3,  1777. 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  marked  the  separation  of  the 
Colonies  from  England  and  the  beginning  of  a  new  nation,  and 
demanded  a  distinctively  American  standard  in  place  of  the 
half-American,  half-British  Grand  Union  Flag.  The  origin  of 
the  new  flag,  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  with  thirteen  stripes  and 
thirteen  stars,  is  set  forth  in  family  traditions ;  and  in  the  Rough 
Journal  of  the  Continental  Congress  for  June  14,  1777,  page  243, 
as  follows :  — 

Resolved,  That  the  Flag  of  the  United  States  be  13  stripes  alternate 
red  and  white,  that  the  Union  be  13  stars  white  in  a  blue  field  representing 
a  new  constellation. 

The  foe-simile  shows  that  there  was  first  written,  ''Resolved 
That  the  Flag  of  the  United  States  consist  of  ...  ,"  etc. ; 
then  "consist"  was  struck  out ;  "be  distinguished"  was  inserted, 
and  "by"  was  written  over  "of" ;  and  finally,  "distinguished  by" 
was  struck  out,  leaving  the  resolution  as  quoted.  The  Journal 
shows  that  the  changes  were  probably  made  by  reason  of  dis- 
cussion in  the  Congress  and  were  not  merely  the  work  of  a 
committee.  These  official  records  do  not  show  much  sentiment 
in  the  creation  of  the  flag.  There  was  no  Congressional  Record 
in  those  clays.  We  can  read  only  of  the  results  in  the  Congress 
and  conjecture  the  discussions. 

The  resolution  provides  for  the  number  of  stars,  but  not  for 
their  arrangement  or  the  number  of  points  in  a  star.  There  is 
a  tradition  that  the  stars  of  the  flag  were  the  stars  of  Washing- 
ton's family  coat  of  arms,  adopted  at  the  suggestion  of  Benjamin 
Franklin,  and  first  placed  thus :  — 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


FAC-SIM1LE   OF  PAGE   OF  ROUGH  JOURNAL  OF  THE  CONTINENTAL 

CONGRESS,  JUNE  14,  1777,  SHOWING  RESOLUTION  AUTHORIZING 

THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES 


8 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


The  stars  took  the  place  of  the  saltire  cross  ( X  )  of  St.  Andrew 
and  the  rectangular  cross  (-J-)  of  St.  George  of  the  Grand  Union 
Flag.  This  arrangement  of  stars  has  been  used  in  the  United 
States  Navy  boat-flag  for  many  years  and  has  recently  been 
reaffirmed  by  Executive  Order.  The  five-pointed  star,  with  one 
point  upward,  is  an  ancient  symbol  of  authority  and  dominion  of 
India,  Persia,  and  Egypt.  It  is  a  sacred  symbol  in  Christian 
churches,  and  symbolizes  dominion.  It  has  a  special  significance 
and  interest  as  a  symbol  of  Freemasonry,-  of  which  order  Wash- 
ington, Franklin,  Ross,  and  nearly  all  of  the  signers  of  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence,  were  eminent  members. 


AMERICAN  FLAG  OF  REVOLUTIONARY  PERIOD,  ACCORDING 
TO  PEALE  AND  TRUMBULL 


Peale  and  Trumbull  have  painted  the  flag  of  the  Revolutionary 
War  period  with  thirteen  five-pointed  stars  in  a  circle.  The  flag 
of  the  Third  Maryland  Regiment,  preserved  in  the  State  House, 
Annapolis,  Maryland,  has  in  the  Union  twelve  white  five-pointed 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


9 


stars  in  the  circumference  and  one  star  in  the  center  of  a  circle. 
This  standard  is  32  x  00  inches.  It  was  carried  in  the  Battle  of 
the  Cowpens,  January  17,  1781. 


MARYLAND  FLAG  CARRIED  IN  THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  COWPENS 
This  flag  is  said  to  have  been  made  by  Betsy  Ross  in  1780 

The  flag  used  by  John  Paul  Jones  in  the  Bonhommc  Richard 
was  deposited  in  the  museum  of  the  Alexandria-Washington 
Lodge  F.  A.  A.  M.,  of  which  George  Washington  was  Master. 
This  flag  was  destroyed  in  1871,  when  the  Temple  and  City  Hall 
of  Alexandria  burned  down.* 

There  is  a  curious  old  flag  now  preserved  in  the  rooms  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  F.  A.  A.  M.,  at  Raleigh,  N.  C.,  which  is  the  "Stars 
and  Stripes"  carried  by  North  Carolina  troops  at  the  Battle  of 
Guilford  Court  House,  March  15,  1781.  This  flag  has  thirteen 
horizontal  stripes,  alternate  blue  and  red,  the  bottom  stripe  nearly 


*See  "Washington,  the  Man  and  the  Mason,"  by  Charles  H.  Callahan, 
Washington,  1913,  page  311. 


10  The  Stars  and  Stripes 

all  torn  off.  The  canton  is  white,  eight  stripes  high,  and  the 
thirteen  stars  are  eight-pointed  ,  blue  in  color  and  in  nearly  quin- 
cunx grouping. 

The  traditions  of  the  construction  of  the  very  first  "  Stars  and 
Stripes"  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Ross  (popularly  called  "Betsy  Ross") 
are  set  forth  in  reasonable  and  credible  affidavits.* 

The  Society  of  Patriotic  Decorations  £  Civic  Improvement,  of 
Washington,  D.  C.,  states,  in  its  circulars,  that  a  committee  com- 
posed of  General  Washington,  Robert  Morris,  and  Colonel 
George  Ross  (uncle  of  Betsy  Ross'  husband),  called  upon  Mrs. 
Betsy  Ross,  in  June,  1776,  and  asked  her  to  make  a  new  flag 
from  a  rough  drawing,  which,  according  to  her  suggestions,  was 
at  once  redrawn  by  General  Washington,  in  her  back  parlor ; 
that  the  house  where  the  flag  was  made  is  still  standing,  —  a 
two-story  and  attic  building,  No.  239  Arch  Street  (below  Third 
Street),  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 

The  affidavits  of  Rachel  Fletcher,  a  daughter  of  Betsy  Ross, 
and  of  Margaret  Boggs,  a  niece,  state,  in  substance,  the  foregoing, 
and  explain  that  a  suggestion  by  Mrs.  Ross  was  the  use  of  the 
five-pointed,  in  place  of  the  six-pointed  star ;  that  she  showed  the 
committee  how  to  fold  a  piece  of  paper  so  that  a  proper  five- 
pointed  star  could  be  made  with  one  snip  of  the  shears ;  and  fur- 
ther, that  she  made  the  flag,  as  redrawn  by  Washington  according 
to  her  suggestions,  and  that  the  committee  carried  it  to  the  Con- 
gress, where  it  was  approved  and  adopted. 

Betsy  Rossf  left  to  her  descendants  and  to  her  country  the 
glorious  tradition  of  the  honest,  skillful,  cheerful,  energetic,  patri- 
otic woman  of  the  American  Revolution,  who  fashioned  and 
placed  in  the  hands  of  our  first  great  soldier  the  Flag  of  Freedom, 
our  national  ensign,  —  the  most  beautiful  flag  in  the  world. 


*Printed  in  an  accurate  and  charming  volume,  "The  Evolution  of  the 
American  Flag,"  by  Lloyd  Balderston,  Ph.D.,  Philadelphia,  1909. 

fEHzabeth  Griscom  (later,  Betsy  Ross)  was  born  January  1,  1752; 
married,  November,  1773,  John  Ross,  a  Continental  soldier,  who  died  of 
wounds,  and  was  buried  in  the  grounds  of  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia, 


From  Washington  to  Wilson  1 1 


THE  FLAG  OF  FIFTEEN  STARS 

The  Congress  provided,  in  an  Act  approved  January  13,  1794, 
that  the  flag  should  have  fifteen  stripes  and  fifteen  stars,  as  there 
were,  at  that  time,  fifteen  States  in  the  Union.  Under  this  fif- 
teen-starred, fifteen-barred  flag  the  nation's  destinies  advanced 
for  twenty-three  years.  During  this  momentous  time,  the  Navy 
Department  was  established,  April  30,  1798 ;  the  Louisiana  Pur- 
chase was  consummated,  1803 ;  Washington,  John  Adams,  Jeffer- 
son, Madison,  and  Monroe  served  as  chief  magistrates  of  the  na- 
tion ;  five  States  were  admitted  to  the  Union ;  successful  war  was 
waged  in  the  Naval  War  with  France ;  against  the  Barbary  Pow- 
ers; in  the  War  of  1812;  in  the  Northwest  Indian  War,  and  the 
Creek  Indian  \Var. 

The  union  of  fifteen  stars  in  this  flag  rested  upon  the  ninth 
stripe,  a  red  one.  Their  arrangement  is  shown,  in  the  original 
Star  Spangled  Banner  which  floated  over  Fort  Mclienry  and  is 
now  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  in  Washington,  to  be  in 
five  horizontal  rows  of  three  stars  each.  This  flag  was  made  in 
Baltimore  by  Mrs.  Mary  Pickersgill  and  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Caroline  T.  Purdy.  There  is  a  story  that  the  missing  white  star 
in  this  flag  was  cut  out  and  given  to  President  Lincoln. 

The  Centennial  of  the  Star  Spangled  Banner  will  be  cele- 
brated in  Baltimore  and  elsewhere,  in  1914,  in  commemoration 
of  the  writing  of  the  anthem  by  Francis  Scott  Key  at  Baltimore, 
September  14,  1814. 


January  20,  177(5.  She  married.  June  15,  1777,  a  sea-captain.  John  Ash- 
hurne,  who  died  in  Mill  Prison,  England,  March,  1782.  On  May  8, 
178H,  she  married  John  Claypoole,  Ashburne's  prison-mate,  who  died  in 
1817.  She  died  at  her  daughter's  home  in  Philadelphia.  January  30,  1836  • 
was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  the  Society  of  Free  Quakers,"  on '  South 
Fifth  Street,  from  which  place  her  remains  were  transferred,  in  1857 
to  Mount  Moriah  Cemetery.  Four  of  her  daughters  grew  up  and  married.' 
Betsy  Ross  continued  the  upholstery  business  of  her  first  husband.  She 
was  for  fifty  years  an  expert  needle  woman,  lace-maker,  and  flag-maker, 
and  supplied  the  government  with  flags. 


12 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


THE  STAR  SPANGLED  BANNER  OF  FORT  McHENRY 

29  ft.  high.  32  ft.  fly 
Preserved  in  the  National  Museum,  Washington,  D.  C. 


The  commission  of  Washington  as  lieutenant-general,  in  1798, 
contains  engravings  of  the  flag  and  of  the  jack  with  fourteen 
six-pointed  stars  in  the  circumference  of  a  circle  and  a  fifteenth 
star  in  the  center  thereof. 

The  flag  of  the  U.S.S.  Chesapeake,  captured  June  1,  1813. 
and  now  preserved  in  the  Museum  of  the  Royal  United  Service 
Institution.  London,  shows  the  stars  as  arranged  in  The  Star 
Spangled  Banner  of  Fort  McHenry. 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


13 


APPROXIMATE  ARRANGEMENT  OF  FIFTEEN 

STARS  IN  THE  FLAG  OF  THE  U.S.S.  ENTERPRISE 

SEPTEMBER  5,  1813 

Another  navy  flag,  that  of  the  U.S.S.  Enterprise,  carried 
in  that  ship  when  she  captured  H.B.M.  Ship  Boxer,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1813,  shows  the  stars  arranged  in  three  horizontal  rows  of 
five  stars  each.  The  fly  of  the  union  in  this  flag  is  one-half  the 
fly  of  the  flag  and  the  hoist  of  the  union  is  eight  stripes.  The  flag 
is  about  \\y2  x  5l/2  feet. 


14  The  Stars  and  Stripes 


THE  FLAGS  OF  TWENTY  STARS  AND  FORTY-EIGHT  STARS 

The  Congress,  in  an  Act  approved  April  4,  1818,  re-established 
the  flag  of  the  thirteen  stripes  and  provided  that  the  union  be 
twenty  stars,  as  there  were  twenty  States  in  the  Union  at  that 
time.  The  stars  were  arranged  in  four  horizontal  rows  of  five 
stars  each,  forming  a  rectangular  block.  This  Act  provided  fur- 
ther that  on  the  admission  of  every  new  State  into  the  Union, 
one  star  should  be  added  to  the  union  of  the  flag.  This  is  the 
existing  statute  under  which  the  union  of  the  flag  has  increased 
to  forty-eight  stars,  as  the  Union  has  increased  to  forty-eight 
States.  Representative  P.  H.  Wendover  of  New  York,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Captain  Samuel  Chester  Reid,  the  famous  com- 
mander of  the  privateer  General  Armstrong,  proposed  the  bill 
which  became  law,  April  4,  1818. 

The  Stars  and  Stripes  can  be  positively  identified  at  a  greater 
distance  than  any  other  national  flag.  At  long  distances,  with 
the  sun  behind  the  observer,  the  stripes  have  a  reddish  tinge  and 
the  union  is  dark  gray;  and  if  the  flag  is  between  the  sun  and 
the  observer,  the  stripes  have  a  light  gray  tinge  and  the  union  is 
almost  black. 

In  recent  years,  the  Joint  Army  and  Navy  Board  has  proposed 
the  arrangement  of  the  stars  in  the  union,  and  the  Secretaries  of 
War  and  of  the  Navy  have  issued  the  necessary  orders.  On  June 
1,  1912,  a  board,  —  whose  presiding  officer  was  Captain  W.  F. 
Halsey,  U.  S.  Navy,  —  representing  all  the  Executive  Depart- 
ments,—Navy,  Justice,  Agriculture,  War,  State,  Interior,  Post 
Office,  Treasury,  and  Commerce  and  Labor,  —  met  in  the  Library 
of  the  Navy  Department  and  proposed  standard  sizes  and  pro- 
portions for  the  national  ensign,  as  there  were  at  that  time  some 
sixty-six  different  sizes  of  the  national  flag,  and  of  varying  pro- 
portions, in  use  by  the  Executive  Departments.  In  Executive 
Order  No.  1C37,  dated  October  29,  1912,  printed  below,  the  size 
and  proportions  of  the  flag  are  defined  substantially  as  proposed 
by  the  inter-department  board,  June  4,  1912. 


From  Washington  to  Wilson  15 


FLAG  OF  1912 

The  Stars  and  Stripes,  from  1777  to  1795,  bore  thirteen  stars 
and  thirteen  stripes;  from  1795  to  1818,  fifteen  stars  and  fifteen 
stripes ;  from  1818  to  1913,  a  star  for  every  State  and  thirteen 
stripes.  There  were  thirteen  stars  in  the  flag  at  the  time  of  the 
Revolutionary  War  and  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution ;  fifteen 
stars  in  the  War  of  1812  and  in  the  War  with  the  Barbery  Pow- 
ers; twenty-nine  in  the  Mexican  War;  thirty-five  in  the  Civil 
War;  forty-five  in  the  Spanish- American  War. 

Our  flag  has  always  flown  for  the  freedom  of  men  and  the 
freedom  of  the  sea.  Since  it  was  first  saluted,  February  14, 
1778,  by  a  foreign  power,  in  Quiberon  Bay,  France,  borne  by  our 
first  great  sailor,  John  Paul  Jones,  on  the  U.S.S.  Ranger,  it  has 
carried  a  message  of  hope  to  all  humanity.  Its  red  denotes  cour- 
age ;  its  white,  purity ;  its  blue,  loyalty  and  devotion ;  its  stars, 
high  aspiration  and  federal  union.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  is  the 
sign  of  national  sovereignty  and  unity.  It  is  the  symbol  of  the 
Constitution,  as  the  Cross  is  the  symbol  of  Christianity. 

We  have  enjoyed  so  many  blessings  and  privileges  that  some 
may  have  forgotten  that  these  blessings  are  derived  from  the 
provisions  of  the  Constitution,  which  give  us  political  and  re- 
ligious liberty  and  freedom  of  speech  and  press. 


16  The  Stars  and  Stripes 

The  Constitution  is  the  plan  of  government  of  the  United 
States,  and  every  citizen  is  bound  to  support  it  against  all  ene- 
mies whatsoever.  This  country,  with  its  institutions,  belongs  to 
the  people  who  inhabit  it.  Nowhere  else  in  the  world  is  presented 
a  government  of  so  much  liberty  and  equality.  An  immigrant 
may  attain  any  federal  office  in  the  United  States,  legislative, 
executive,  or  judicial,  excepting  only  two,  —  those  of  President 
and  Vice-President.  Our  laws.  National  and  State,  are  based 
on  the  Constitution,  and  the  flag  is  the  symbol,  not  only  of  the 
•National  Constitution,  but  of  every  State  Constitution.  The  flag 
is  the  Constitution. 

George  Washington  was  the  chief  officer  engaged  in  the  crea- 
tion of  the  Stars  and  Stripes ;  the  chief  and  presiding  officer  in 
the  creation  of  the  Constitution.  He  was  "First  in  war.  first  in 
peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen,"  and  the  Consti- 
tution and  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  which  he  in  large  part  created 
and  established,  receive  our  respect  and  devotion  in  like  high 
degree. 


From  Washington  to  Wilson  17 


DIMENSIONS  OF  THE  NATIONAL  FLAG 

The  following  Executive  Order  defines  the  dimensions  of  the 
National  Flag. 

EXECUTIVE   ORDER,    1637,    OCTOBER    2!),    1912. 

The  Executive  Order  of  June  24,  1912,  is  hereby  revoked,  and  for  it  is 
substituted  the  following : 

Whereas,  "An  Act  to  Establish  the  Flag  of  the  United  States,"  approved 
on  the  4th  of  April,  1818,  reading  as  follows: 

"SECTiox  1.  Be  it  enacted,  etc..  That  from  and  after  the  fourth  day  of 
July  next,  the  flag  of  the  United  States  be  thirteen  horizonal  stripes, 
alternate  red  and  white ;  that  the  union  have  twenty  stars,  white  in  a 
blue  field. 

"SECTION  2.  Be  it  further  enacted,  That  on  the  admission  of  every  new- 
State  into  the  Union,  one  star  be  added  to  the  union  of  the  flag:  and 
that  such  addition  shall  take  effect  on  the  fourth  of  July  next  succeeding 
such  admission." 

fails  to  establish  proportions;  and 

Whereas,  investigation  shows  some  sixty-six  different  sizes  of  National 
flags,  and  of  varying  proportions,  in  use  in  the  Executive  Departments ; 

It  is  hereby  ordered  that  National  Flags  and  Union  Jacks  for  all  De- 
partments of  the  Government,  with  the  exception  noted  under  (a),  shall 
conform  to  the  following  proportions: 

Fly    (length )    of  Flag 1.9 

Hoist  (width)  of  Flag I 

Hoist    (width  )    of  Union ,73 

Fly   (length  )   of  Union 7t> 

Width   of   each   stripe ^ 

(a)  Exception:  The  colors  carried  by  troops,  and  camp  colors,  shall  be 
the  sizes  prescribed  for  the  Military  Service  (Army  and  Navy). 

Limitation  of  the  number  of  sizes:  With  exception  of  colors  under 
note  (a),  the  sizes  of  flags  manufactured  or  purchased  for  Government 
Departments  will  be  limited  to  those  with  the  following  hoists: 

(1)     20.00  feet          (7)      5.14  feet 

(2)     (standard )    19.00  feet         (8 )     3.00  feet 

(3)     14.:53  feet          (9 )     :5.:>2  feet 

(4)     12.19  feet        (10)      2.90  feet 

(5)     10.00  feet        (11)     2.37  feet 

(6)     8.94  feet        (12)     l.:il  feet 

Union  Jacks:    The  size  of  the  Jack   shall   be  the  size  of   the   Union  of 

the  National  Flag  with  which  it  is  flown. 


18  The  Stars  and  Stripes 

Position  and  Size  of  Stars:  The  position  and  size  of  each  star  for  the 
Union  of  the  flag  shall  be  as  indicated  on  a  plan  which  will  be  furnished 
to  the  Departments  by  the  Navy  Department.  From  this  plan  can  be 
determined  the  location  and  size  of  stars  for  flags  of  any  dimensions. 
Extra  blueprints  of  this  plan  will  be  furnished  upon  application  to  the 
Navy  Department. 

Order  effective:  All  National  Flags  and  Union  Jacks  now  on  hand  or 
for  which  contracts  have  been  awarded  shall  be  continued  in  use  until 
unserviceable,  but  all  those  manufactured  or  purchased  for  Government 
use  after  the  date  of  this  order  shall  conform  strictly  to  the  dimensions 
and  proportions  herein  prescribed. 

Boat  Flags:  In  order  that  the  identity  of  the  stars  in  flags  when  car- 
ried by  small  boats  belonging  to  the  Government  may  be  preserved,  the 
custom  holding  in  the  Navy  for  many  years,  of  thirteen  (13)  stars  for 
boat  flags,  is  hereby  approved. 

President's  Flag:  The  color  of  the  field  of  the  President's  flag  shall 
be  blue. 

WM.  H.  TAFT. 


STANDARD  PROPORTIONS  OF  NATIONAL  ENSIGN 

The  following  table  gives  the  standard  proportions  for  all  parts 
of  the  standard  national  ensign.  The  actual  dimension  of  any 
part  of  the  flag  is  obtained  by  multiplying  the  hoist  by  the  pro- 
portion given  in  the  table.  Thus,  in  ensign  No.  1,  with  hoist  of 
20  feet,  the  diameter  (J)  of  the  star  is  20x0.0616=1.23-2  feet. 
This  table  furnishes  a  ready  means  of  preparing  the  dimensions 
for  ensign  Nos.  1,  5,  and  8,  omitted  in  the  table  accompanying 
the  outline  plan.  The  dimensions  of  the  four  sizes  of  boat  flags 
are  given  with  plan  of  the  boat  flag.  (See  plans,  p.  25.) 

Standard  Proportions. 

A    1.0000  G    0.0950 

B     1.9000  H     0.0447 

C    0.0475  I     0.0897 

D    0.4615  J     0.0616 

E    0.5384  K    0.0769 

F  .                                                 .  0.7600 


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20  The  Stars  and  Stripes 


DATES  OF  ADMISSION  OF  THE  STATES  TO  THE  UNION 

A  new  star  is  added  to  the  Flag  on  the  Fourth  of  July  following 
the  date  of  admission  of  a  State. 

The  thirteen  original  States  ( represented  by  the  red  and  white 
stripes  on  the  flag)  were :  New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Rhode 
Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Dela- 
ware, Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  and 
Georgia. 

The  following  table  gives  the  dates  of  ratification  of  the  Con- 
stitution by  the  original  thirteen  States,  and  the  dates  of  admis- 
sion into  the  Union  of  the  thirty-five  additional  States : 

""I.  Delaware    Dec.  7,  1787  J^25.  Arkansas    June  15,  1836 

2.  Pennsylvania     Dec.  12,1787  26.  Michigan     Jan.  26,  18:57 

3.  New    Jersey Dec.  18,  1787  g  27.  Florida     Mar.  3,  1845 

!  4.  Georgia    Jan.  2,  1788  28.  Texas    Dec.  29,  1845 

L-5.  Connecticut    Jan.   9,  1788  29.  Iowa    Dec.  28,  1846 

6.  Massachusetts    Feb.    7,  1788  30.  Wisconsin    May  29,  1848 

7.  Maryland    .April  28,  1788  uJ31.  California   Sept.  9,  1850 

8.  South    Carolina.  .  .May  2:5,  1788  32.  Minnesota    May  11.  1858 

9.  New    Hampshire.. June  21,   1788  33.  Oregon    Feb.   14,  1859 

10.  Virginia     June  26,  1788       34.   Kansas     Jan.  29,  1861 

11.  New    York July  26,  1788  35.  West     Virginia... . June  19,  1863 

12.  North    Carolina.. .Nov.  21,  1789       36.  Nevada    Oct.  31,  1864 

13.  Rhode    Island May  29.  1790       37.  Nebraska     Mar.  1,  1867 

14.  Vermont    Mar.  4,  1791  3" 38.  Colorado     Aug.  1,  1876 

15.  Kentucky     June  1.  1792       39.   North     Dakota Nov.  2.  1889 

16.  Tennessee    June  1/1790       40.  South    Dakota Nov.  2,  1889 

17.  Ohio    Nov.  29,  1802       41.   Montana     Nov.  8,  1889 

18.  Louisiana     Apr.  30,  1812       42.  Washington    Nov.  11,  1889 

19.  Indiana     Dec.  11,  1816   '.43.   Idaho    July  3,  1890 

20.  Mississippi     Dec.   10,  1817       44.   Wyoming    July  10,  1890 

21.  Illinois     Dec.  3,  1818        45.  Utah     Jan.  4,  1896 

22.  Alabama     Dec.  14,  1819       46.  Oklahoma     Nov.  16,  1907 

23.  Maine     Mar.   15,  1820    /)^7.  Arizona     Jan.  6,  1912 

24.  Missouri     Aug.   10,  1821       48.   New    Mexico Feb.   14,  1912 


From  Washington  to  Wilson  21 

THE  DISPLAY  OF  THE  FLAG 

The  following  information  regarding  the  display  of  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  is  an  extract  from  Flag  Circular  No.  4,  issued  by  the 
Society  of  Patriotic  Decorations  and  Civic  Improvement,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.* 

Holidays  when  the  Flag  should  be  displayed. 

Lincoln's  Birthday February  12 

Washington's   Birthday February  22 

Inauguration  Day March   4 

Battle  of  Lexington April   19 

Battle  of  Manila  Bay  (half  staff  until  noon) May  1 

Mother's  Day 2d  Sunday  in  May 

Memorial  Day  (half  staff  until  noon) May  30 

Flag  Day June  14 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill June  17 

Independence  Day July  4 

Labor  Day First  Monday  in  September 

Lake  Erie  Day September  10 

Lake  Champlain  Day September  11 

John  Paul  Jones  Day September  23 

Battle  of  Saratoga October  17 

Surrender  at  Yorktown October  19 

On  Memorial  Day,  May  30,  the  Flag  should  fly  at  half  staff 
from  sunrise  to  noon  and  full  staff  from  noon  to  sunset.  It  should 
first  be  raised  to  full  staff,  then  lowered  for  forenoon  and  even- 
ing. 

The  Flag  should  not  be  hoisted  before  sunrise  nor  be  allowed 
to  remain  up  after  sunset. 

At  "Morning  and  Evening  Colors,"  civilian  spectators  should 
stand  at  "attention''  and  uncover  during  the  playing  of  the  "Star 
Spangled  Banner."  Military  spectators  are  required  by  Regu- 
lations to  stand  at  "attention"  and  give  the  military  salute.  The 
Flag  should  never  be  allowed  to  touch  the  ground  and  should 
never  be  raised  or  lowered  by  any  mechanical  appliance. 

When  the  National  and  State,  or  other  flags  fly  together,  the 
National  Flag  should  be  on  the  right. 

*Mr.   Frederick  D.   Owen  is   President  of  this   Society. 


22  The  Stars  and  Stripes 

When  the  Flag  is  flown  at  half  staff  as  a  sign  of  mourning,  it 
should  be  hoisted  to  full  staff  at  the  conclusion  of  the  funeral. 

The  Salute  to  the  Union,  fired  at  Army  posts  at  noon.  July  4, 
is  one  gun  for  every  State.  The  National  Salute  is  21  guns. 

Whenever  possible  the  Flag  should  be  flown  from  a  staff  or 
mast,  but  should  not  be  fastened  to  the  side  of  a  building,  plat- 
form, or  scaffolding.  It  should  not  be  used  as  a  cover  over  a 
table,  desk,  or  box,  or  where  anything  can  be  set  or  placed  upon 
the  Flag. 

When  the  Flag  is  used  as  a  banner,  the  union  should  fly  to  the 
north  in  streets  running  east  and  west  and  to  the  east  on  streets 
running  north  and  south. 

\Vhen  flags  are  used  in  unveiling  a  statue  or  monument,  they 
should  not  be  allowed  to  fall  to  the  ground,  but  should  be  carried 
aloft  to  wave  out,  forming  a  distinctive  feature  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  ceremony.* 


MOTHER'S  DAY 

The  Joint  Resolution  of  the  <>:5d  Congress  designating  the  sec- 
ond Sunday  in  May  as  Mother's  Day,  and  for  other  purposes  is 
as  follows: 

WHEREAS,  The  service  rendered  the  United  States  by  the  American 
mother  is  the  greatest  source  of  the  country's  strength  and  inspiration ; 
and 

WHEREAS,  We  honor  ourselves  and  the  mothers  of  America  when  we 
do  anything  to  give  emphasis  to  the  home  as  the  fountain  head  of  the 
vState ;  and 

WHEREAS,  The  American  mother  is  doing  so  much  for  the  home,  the 
moral  uplift  and  religion,  hence  so  much  for  good  government  and 
humanity :  Therefore  be  it 

Resoh'cd  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  That  the  President  of  the 
United  States  is  hereby  authorized  and  requested  to  issue  a  proclamation 
calling  upon  the  Government  officials  to  display  the  United  States  flag 
on  all  Government  buildings,  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  to 
display  the  flag  at  their  homes  or  other  suitable  places,  on  the  second 

*First  used  at  national  unveiling  ceremonies  by  Frederick  D.  Owen. 


From  Washington  to  Wilson  23 

Sunday  in  May.  as  a  public  expression  of  our  love  and  reverence  for  the 
mothers  of  our  country. 

SEC,  2.  That  the  second  Sunday  in  May  shall  hereafter  be  designated 
and  known  as  Mother's  Day.  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to 
request  its  observance  as  provided  for  in  this  resolution. 

Approved,  May  8,  1914. 


BY  THE   PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 
A  PROCLAMATION 

WHEREAS,  By  a  Joint  Resolution  approved  May  8,  1914,  "desig- 
nating the  second  Sunday  in  May  as  Mother's  Day.  and  for  other 
purposes,"  the  President  is  authorized  and  requested  to  issue  a 
proclamation  calling  upon  the  government  officials  to  display  the 
United  States  flag  on  all  government  buildings,  and  the  people 
of  the  United  States  to  display  the  flag  at  their  homes  or  other 
suitable  places  on  the  second  Sunday  in  May  as  a  public  ex- 
pression of  our  love  and  reverence  for  the  mothers  of  our 
country ; 

AND  WHEREAS,  By  the  said  Joint  Resolution  it  is  made  the  duty 
of  the  President  to  request  the  observance  of  the  second  Sunday 
in  May  as  provided  for  in  the  said  Joint  Resolution  ; 

Xo\v.  Therefore,  I,  WOODROW  WILSOX,  President  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  by  virtue  of  the  authority  vested  in  me  by  the 
said  Joint  Resolution,  do  hereby  direct  the  government  officials 
to  display  the  United  States  flag  on  all  government  buildings  and 
do  invite  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  display  the  flag  at 
their  homes  or  other  suitable  places  on  the  second  Sunday  in  May 
as  a  public  expression  of  our  love  and  reverence  for  the  mothers 
of  our  country. 

Ix  WITXESS  WHEREOF  T  have  set  my  hand  and  caused  the  seal 
of  the  United  States  to  be  hereunto  affixed. 

DoxE  at  the  City  of  Washington  this  ninth  day  of  May, 
[SEAL.]          in  the  year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  fourteen,  and  of  the  Independence  of  the  United 
States  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight. 

WOODROW  WILSOX 
By  the  President : 
WILLIAM  JKNNINGS  BRVAX 

Secretary  of  State. 


24  The  Stars  and  Stripes 


BOOKS  AND  LECTURES  ON  THE  FLAG 

There  are  many  valuable  and  interesting  books  relating  to  our  Flag  : 
"Origin  and  Progress  of  the  Flag,"  by  Preble ;  "The  Stars  and  Stripes 
and  Other  American  Flags,"  by  Harrison ;  "Evolution  of  the  American 
Flag,"  by  Canby  and  Balderston ;  "Regimental  Colors  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  and  Colors  of  the  Army,  1789-1912,"  by  Gherardi  Davis; 
"Our  Country's  Flag,"  by  Holden;  "Our  Nation's  Flag  in  History,"  by 
Smith ;  and  "The  American  Flag,"  by  Harlan  Homer  Hoyt,  are  a  few  of 
the  larger  books.  The  volume  by  Preble  is  authoritative  and  covers  the 
widest  field. 

Miss  Frances  M.  Richardson,  "The  Flag  Lady,"  residing  at  1008  West 
Fourth  Street,  Los  Angeles,  California,  has  reproduced  fifty  of  the  flags 
used  in  America  and  presents  them  in  her  stirring  patriotic  lecture,  "The 
Growth  and  Triumphs  of  the  American  Flag." 

Mr.  R.  C.  Ballard  Thruston,  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  President-General  of 
the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  has  prepared  the  MSS.  and  col- 
lected the  illustrations  for  a  history  of  the  American  Flag  that  contains 
much  information  never  before  published.  Mr.  Thruston  has  given  many 
addresses  on  the  Flag,  illuminated  with  actual  flags,  which  are  worthy  of 
this  past  master  of  history  and  diction,  and  he  has  given  permission  to 
the  writer  to  thus  use  his  name  on  condition  that  such  use  be  accompanied 
by  the  statement  that  admission  to  his  lectures  and  addresses  must  be 
absolutely  free. 


[25J 


26 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


TO  CUT  A  FIVE-POINTED   STAR  WITH   ONE    STRAIGHT  CUT 

To  cut  a  five-pointed  star  with  one  straight  snip  of  the  shears,  take 
a  piece  of  paper  about  8  inches  wide  and  10  inches  long.  Fold  at  center 
on  horizontal  line,  laying  the  lower  edge  of  sheet  at  top  of  sheet.  From 
the  center  O  draw  lines  OB,  OC,  OD,  forming  five  sectors  of  36°  each 
(Figure  1). 


O  T 

Fig-.  1 


Fijr.  2 


Fold  at  line  OD,  lay  edge  OF  on  line  OB,  press  smooth  the  fold  OD, 
and  the  result  is  Figure  2. 

Fold  Figure  2  at  line  OB,  lay  edge  OA  on  line  OC.  The  result  is 
Figure  3. 

Fold  Figure  3  at  line  OC,  lay  edge  OD  on  edge  OB,  and  smooth  the  fold 
OC.  The  result  is  Figure  4. 


Fiir.3 


Fin.  4 


Fig.  5 


Cut  vertically  XV,  choosing  point  X  so  that  OX  is  equal  to  OA.     OY 
will  be  about  one-third  of  OX. 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


27 


Open  the  portion  XYO,  and  there  appears  the  half  star  (Figure  6). 
Open  this  folded  half  star,  and  the  five-pointed  star  appears  (Figure  7). 
This  star  is  of  the  dimensions  of  a  star  inscribed  in  a  circle  of  radius  OA. 


Fig.  7 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  side  of  the  star  is  very  near  1.9  times  the 
radius  of  the  circle  and  1.9  is  the  proportion  of  the  length  to  the  height 
of  the  national  ensign  required  by  Executive  Order,  1637. 

The  lines  in  Figure  1  may  at  first  be  laid  off  by  a  protractor.     Practice 
will  soon  enable  one  to  fold  the  paper  properly  without  drawing  any  lines. 


SONGS  AND  BUGLE  CALLS 


AMERICA 


Dr.  S.  F.  SMITH,  1832. 


1  My  coun  -  try !  'tis  of      thee,    Sweet     land  of  lib     -    er    -    ty, 

2.  My        na    -    live  coun  try,    thee  —  Land       of  the  no  -     ble      free- 

3  Let        inu    -    sic  swell  the  breeze,   And      ring  from  all          the      trees 

4.  Our        fa    -    thors1  God !  to  Thee,       Au    -    thor  of  lib  -    er    -   ty, 


Of  thee  I  sing ;  Land  where  my  fa  -  thers  died  !  Land  of  the 

Thy  name  I  love ;  I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills,  Thy  woods  and 

Sweet  free  -  dom's  song ;  Let  mor  -  tal  tongues  a  -  wake ;  Let  all  that. 

To      Thee       we  sing :  Long     may  our     land.  be    bright    With  free  -  dom's 


-^ — *~^ — ji    \t '  — 2 — d — 


Pil  -  grims'  pride  1  From  ev    -  'ry 

tern    -  pled  hills  :  My  heart  with 

breathe  par  -  take  ;  Let  rocks  their 

ho    -     ly     light ;  Pro  -  tect  us 


moun  -  tain,  side     Let  free  -  dom'  ring  I 

rap  -   ture  thrills    Like.  that       a  -   bove. 

si  -  lence  break, —  The  sound   pro  -  long, 

by        Thy  might,   Great  God,     our    King! 


[29] 


30 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


THE  STAR-SPANGLED  BANNER 


FRANCIS  SCOTT  KEY,  1814. 

BL 


1.  Oh,  say,   caa    you    see,      by    the  dawn's  ear  -  ly    light,  What  so    proud  -  ly    we 

2.  On  that  shore  dim  -ly     seen    thro'  the  mists    of     the  deep,  Where  the    foe's  haugh-ty 

3.  And  where  ie      that  band,  who    so  vaunt  -  ing  -  ly    swore,  That  the    hav  -    oc     of 


hailed  at  the  twi -light's  last  gleam-ing?  Wlrose  broad  stripes  and  bright  stars  thro'  the 
host  in  dread  si  -  lence  re  -  pos  -  es.  What  is  that  which  the  breeze,  o'e~  the 
war  and  the  bat  -  tie's  con  -  fu  -  sion  A  home  and  a  coun  -  try  should 


per  -  il  -  ous  fight,  O'er  the  ram-parts  we  watched  were  so  gal  -  lant  -  ly  stream-ing  ! 
tow  -  er  -  ing  steep.  As  it  fit  -  ful  -  ly  blows,  now  con  -  ceals,now  dis  -  clos  -  es  ? 
leave  us  no  more  ?  Their  blood  has  washed  out  their  foul  foot-steps'  pol  -  lu  -  tion. 


And  the    rock  -  et's    red    glare,    the  bombs  burst-ing    in       air,     Gave  proof  thro'  the 

Now    it.    catch  -  es      the    gleam      of    the  morn  -  ing's  first  beam,  In  full  glo  -  ry        re  - 

No  ref    -   uge  could  save        the          hire  -  ling  and    slave    From  ter    -  ror       of 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


31 


$=* 


^ 


B 


35 


night  that  our  flag  was  still  there.  Oh,  say,  does  that  star  -  span  -  gled 
fleet  -  ed  now  shines  on  the  stream  ;  'Tis  the  star-span  -  gled  ban  -  ner,  oh  1 
flight  or  the  gloom  of  the  grave;  And  the  star-span  -  gled  ban  -  ner  in 


ban  -  ner   .  yet 
long    may    it 
tri  -  umph  doth 


=F 

O'er  the  land  of 

O'er  the  land  of 

O'er  the  land  of 


the 
the 
the 


free  and  the  home 
free  and  the  home 
free  and  the  home 


of  the  brave  I 
of  the  brave  ! 
of  the  brave  I 


4  Oh,  thus  be  it  ever  when  freemen  shall  stand 
Between  their  loved  homes  and  the  war's  desolation  ! 
Blest  with  victory  and  peace,  may  the  heaven-rescued  land 
Praise  the  Power  that  hath  made  and  preserved  us  a  nation. 
Then  conquer  we  must,  when  our  cause  it  is  just, 
And  this  be  our  motto,  "In  God  is  our  trust ; " 
And  the  star-spangled  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  ! 


32 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


THE  AMERICAN  FLAG 


EPH  RODMAN  DRAKE,  1796-1820. 


Melody  from  BKLUKI. 


s 


1.  When  Free-dom  from   her  moon  -  tain  height      Un-furl'd     her  stand -ard  to      the 

2.  Ma-jes  -    tic        mon  -  arch    of       the  cloud  !  Who  rear'st    a  -  loft     thy  re  -  gal 

3.  Flag    of     the  brave  !  thy  folds    shall    fly,       The   Bign       of  hope  -  and  tri  -  umph 

4.  Flag    of     the  seas!    on       o  -.  cean's  wave     Thy  stare  shall  glit  -  ter-  o'er    the 


air,  .  .  She.      tore  the      az   -  ure  robe       of    night,      And    set  the 

form,  .  To  hear    .    the  temp  -  est  trump  -  ing    loud,      And    see  the 

high !  .  When  speaks  the     sig   -  nal  truni  -  pet's  tone,      And    the  long 

brave,.  When  death,    ca  -      reer  -  ing  on       the     gale,  Sweeps  dark  -  ly 


stars  .  .    of   glo  -  ry  there  !      She    min  -  gled  with      its      gor  -  geous  dies  The 

light    -    ning  Ian  -  ces  driven,  When  strides  the    war  -  rior       of       the  storm,  And 

line .  .  .  conies  gleaming    on  ;      Ere       yet     the    life  -  blood,  warm  and  wet,  Has 

round  .  .    the  bel  -  lied    sail :     And    fright  -  ed  waves  rush    wild  -  ly  back  ;  Be 


3— FT 
*  • >  ,  *- 


=(S 


milk  -y    bald  -  rick     of     the  skies,   And  striped  its     pure     ce  -  les  -  tial  white, With 
rolls    the  thun  -  der  drum     of  heav'n  !        Child      of  the  sun  !  to    thee     'tis  giv'n  To 
diimn'd  the  glistn'ing    bay   -  o  -  net — Each  sol  -   dier'seye    shall  bright  -  ly  turn    To 
fore    the  "broad-side's  reel  -  ing  rack  ;   The    dy    -    ing    wan-d'rer       of     the    sea  Shall 

=*= 


streak  -  ings    from      the  morn    -  ing  light ! '  Then,   from  her    man  -   sion 

guard     the     ban  -    ner  of  the  free  t    To  hov    -    er                 in         the 

where     thy      me  -  teor  glo    -  ries  burn.  Flag       of  the    free    heart's 

look      at      once        to  heav'n  and  thee.    For  -  ev    -     er               float       that 


in           the  sun,       She      call'd      her  ea    -     gle  bear  -  er      down,  . 

sul    -    phur  smoke,      To      ward          a  -  way  *  the  bat  -  tie     stroke, . 

hope        and  home,      By        an    -      gel  hands       to  val  -  or      given !  . 

stand    -    ard  sheet !  Where  breathes  the  foe        but  falls  be  -  fore       us, 


And  gave     in  -  to     his  might  -  y  hand  The  sym  -  bol     of  .  .    her  chos  -  en    land. 
And  bid      its  blend  -  ings  shine    a  -  far  Like  rain-bows    on  .  .    the  clouds  of    war. 
Thy   stars  have    lit     the    wel  -  kin  dome  And    all    thy    hues  .  were  born    in  heaven. 
With  free-dom's  soil     be-neath  our* feet,  And  free-dom's  ban  -    ner  streaming  o'er  us. 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


33 


O  COLUMBIA!  THE  GEM  OF  THE  OCEAN 


Written  and  composed  by  THOMAS  a  SECRET,  ST., 

in  1843,  for  DAVID  T.  SHAW,  Actor. 
With  lofty  expression. 


1.  O     Co  -  lum  -  bia  !  the  gem    of    the      o-cean, 

2.  When      war  wag'd  its  wide  des  -  o  -  la  -  tion, 

3.  The         wine  cup,  the  wine  cup  bring  hith-er, 


The  home  of    the  brave  and  the 
And  threat-en'd  the  land    to     de  - 
And      fill     ye     it    up       to    the 


free, 
form, 
brim  ; 


'The    shrine      of      each      pa  -    triot's    de  -   vp  -  tion,  A 

The      ark       then      of       free  -  dom's  foun  -da  -  tion,  Co 

May  the  mem  -  'ry        of    Washing-ton    ne'er    with  -  er,          Nor  the 


1~»^ -isri— 1-*-*~ 


world      of  -  fers     horn  -  age 
lum    -  bia    rode    safe     thro' 
star       of     his      glo  -   ry 


to    thee;  Thy    man  -  dates  make  he    -   roes    as  - 

the  storm ;    With  her  gar  -  lands    of      vie   -    to  -   ry 
grow  dim  !      May  the    ser  -  vice       u    -  nit    -    ed    ne'er 


sem  -  ble, 

When    Lib  -    er   -  ty's        form 

stands  in    view, 

*•  *•  *^—\ 

Thy 

o'er    .her, 

When  so  proud  -  ly       she        bore 

her    brave  crew, 

With  her 

sev  -   er, 

And       each     to       our        col  •  • 

ors   prove  true  ! 

The 

nH*  f    • 

rt\ 

IH  KTT  J  *  .  —  —  1  

N  —  is  — 

-r-i  —  1  1 

\  €b"  U—  t  —  U- 

mm 

ban-ners  make  tyr  -  an  -  ny  trem-ble, 
flag  proud  -  ly  float  -  ing  be  -  fore  her, 
Ar-my  and,  ~Na  -  vy  for-  ev  -  er  ! 


When  borne  by  the  red,  white,and  blue. 
The  boast  of  the  red,  white, and  blue. 
Three  cheers  for  the  red,  white,and  blue. 


CHORUS. 


When  borne  by  the  red,white,and    blue, 

The    boast  of    the  red,white,and.  blue, 

Three  cheers  for  the  red,white,and    blue, 


When  borne  by  the  red,white,and  blue  ; 
The  boast  of  the  red,white,and  blue ; 
Three  cheers  for  the  red,white,and  blue  ; 


Thy    ban-ners  make  tyr  -  an  -  uy    tremble, 

Witli  her  flag  proudly    float-ing   be  -'fore  her, 

The      Ar-my    and    Na  -  vy    for  -  ev  -  er, 


When  borne  by  the  red,white,and  blue. 
The  boast  of  the  red,white,and  blue. 
Three  cheers  for  the  red.white.and  blue. 


34 


The  Stars  and  Stripes 


REVEILLE 


Quick. 


>-4-«-  -t-  M    •  ! 


-*-= — *- 


FINK. 


3GIZZPE 


-*-= 1- 


~f—w 

*& 


-?-?-?-?- 

H 1 1 h- 


MORNING  COLORS 


TAPS 


Stow. 


E^^J!£r^rr- 
'     -»Jt-Hf 


— »n 


rur: 


II 


From  Washington  to  Wilson 


35 


EVENING  COLORS 


Moderate. 


113 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

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